Thanks for the reviews, folks! I really appreciate them!Onwards we go...

Disclaimer: Nuff! Enough said...

Chapter III – The world left behind...

Grasping tightly the small hands of the trouble-wrecking children, Goku slowly rose to his feet. Normally he wouldn't have bothered with holding hands and keeping the negative effect away from the poor fallen bastard, but for Trunks and Goten's defense he could say they were children and no child should feel that feeling no matter how annoying or well they handled the feelings.

Gazing down at the small beings he noted their ragged appearance and red, sun-burn skin. Frowning, he knew they were near dehydration and needed rest and water. All those things the Hell didn't give a rat ass' chance of happening. The water existed, but it was rare and hardly drinkable anyways. It didn't matter to the demons or dead people for they were dead anyway and hunger and thirst were only consept for them but for living such as him and now Goten and Trunks...

This journey was becoming harder and harder by any thought he thought and decided to stop doing so, settling for getting some shade and water for the boys.

" Where we going?" Trunks whispered breaking the pressing silence.

" To get ya outta here." he answered simply, tugging them to walk forwards with him. Goten and Trunks sulked. This really wasn't the way a hero via rescuer was supposed to act. He was mysterious, wore a scarf around his face and gave rat's ass about them.

Inspecting the gauntleted hand, clothed in fingerless gloves, Trunks couldn't help but feel familiarity. His hands were excatly like his father's. Worn and calloused, so strong that they could crush smaller beings easily. The showing fingers were scarred and being broken many times before.

Their headtops barely reached his waist though the man wasn't that tall. Trunks shook his head and concentrated on walking. It was difficult and he was about the fifth time within these ten meters to hit his toes on sharp rocks.

Goten held on the hand tightly almost cutting off the blood circulation on Goku's hand. This was all so new and exiting, yet, at the same time very scary. The little demi-Saiyajin wasn't sure why the man was so familiar and why did he feel like he was in the safest place upon Earth, when he was in middle of the most vehement environment ever? And he still couldn't shake the feeling of Gohan, when around this man. Their eyes were same thought the general look in them was different.

Goku watched the two carefully. Trunks was concentraiting on walking and Goten looked like he was deep in thought, eye brows knitted together. Never in the world he would have belived that his and Vegeta's sons could so close friends. His son... he shuddered. How many times had he seen unpleasant nightmares... let's not go in here, he decided.

The only way fr the boys to ever get in Hell was thru Dragonballs and miss-spoken wish... he guessed hearing about Hell had been the ignitor for this whole mess and they had confused it for HFIL. Why couldn't people just believe the actula Hell and HFIL were completely different thing? From Hell, King Yemma just didn't take you out of there and you stayed there for the rest of your life, living or dead. You came in Hell, you stayed there. Unless...

Unless you were fallen and happened to come across certain Hell's angel Shadow... he chuckled dryly. That little rift between dimension was handy. Goku's thoughts returned to his unknown son.

How was his life? How was he getting along with people? How was the world treating him? Did he ever think about who his father was? Could he ever reveal he was his father that he was in Hell involuntarily and alive?

No.

He would never know any that again. He didn't beling that world anymore and never would again. He was far too changed just to return to them. Besides, he didn't have the right to. Could he just march into Goten's life like that? When he already had a father? He knew ChiChi had remarried shortly after his supposed death to some prince from a distant country who was much better father to Gohan and Goten than he ever could have been. He didn't know was he supposed to cry or murder the bastard that dared to touch his ChiChi...

Who wasn't his anymore. He was 'dead' after all and thus ChiChi was free... and he doubted he had anymore a place in her heart. Could he take that all away? Break the security of a happy home? No.

He woulnd't do that. Not to Goten. Not to his family.

It was better if he never knew him as a father. It was better know him as a Shadow, a mysterious figure that visited his life once. No more.

He was sure Vegeta was a good trainer and they would grow up to be strong. And Gohan...?

Gohan hated him for leaving, for dying like that. For being too weak to kill Cell himself... and that stung the worst.

He bit his lip, drawing blood as tears threatened to fall. Not many things could make him cry or emotional move him nowdays and he welcomed his ability to cry, but now wasn't the moment to fall in self-pity. He had a mission to pull thru and that mission happened to be his own son's life and ine of his past friend's son's life as well...

He forced the tears back, blinking rapidly. The past should be not dwelled on in a circumstances like this. It just gets you killed, he reminded himself and sped up the pace slightly. The only even little safe oasis was only ten kilometers away...

000000

Sorry it's short people, but that's all this chapter can contain without giving things away and opening the first layers of the huge knot of plots behind everything... REVIEW!